This is a blog detailing the creation/evolution/ID controversy and assorted palaeontological news. I will post news here with running commentary.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Jonathan Kay Defends Gary Goodyear

Jonathan Kay is angry at the Globe's treatment of Canada's Science Minister, Gary Goodyear and characterizes it as a secular "witch hunt." See two posts down for context. He writes:

Canadians differ on whether a supernatural entity had a role in the creation of human life. In a 2007 Canadian Press-Decima Research poll, 26% of respondents said they believe in creationism, 29% picked evolution and 34% said they believe in some combination of the two.

But according to militant secularists -- given disgracefully prominent play by The Globe and Mail on the front page of yesterday's edition -- that's not good enough. They want everyone in society, or at least everyone leading this country, to dogmatically subscribe to the minority view that God had no role at all in human creation.

Well, no that's not what they want. They want good science education and research and to have a science minister who understands this. This is another example of a writer using subterfuge to mask the real issue—that Gary Goodyear might not accept one of the linchpins of science as science. Instead, what is used is a classic creationism/ID defense: criticism of educators who don't accept evolution equals criticism of their theology and promotion of atheism. There was nothing in the quote of Goodyear in the previous post that mentioned God not having a role in creation. All Goodyear said that was he didn't want to answer the question about his religious beliefs and (according to the story) that these had a bearing on his acceptance of evolution. Your average science educator has absolutely no interest in promoting atheism. They just want good science education.